Atlas/Asia Major
Comprised of the great barbaric realms of Celesyria, Iran, Mesopotamia and Bactriana, Asia Major explodes on eastwards from Anatolia into, leading across the lands of ancient barbarian empires until the very gates of Bactriana and Sogdiana, famed for the silk which is said to be produced in distant lands further east, separated by even more leagues' worth of seldom travelled wastes and inhospitable mountain ranges. Nevertheless, Alexander's passing many decades ago however may have been a blessing in disguise: his former friends and employees, usurpers as they may be, have ensured that the barbarians of Asia will finally understand what makes a Greek far more superior than any race on earth. Of the Greeks who have made themselves lords of Asia, however, the Seleucids have seized Mesopotamia and have shown thus far to be the most powerful if not the most antagonistic, holding sway over the Pontics, Bactrians, Parthians, Bosporans and Armenians. Whether the Pergamenes of Ionia will ever bend their knee to the heirs of Seleucus however is another matter. Bactriana The easternmost outpost of the Greek world, Bactriana is known as the main terminus of trade for silk, a commodity of increasing demand in the world. Slaves and luxuries from Greece and beyond arrive here to be exchanged for the goods of distant lands. Thus for this reason, Bactriana produces the greatest amount of tribute to anyone capable of uniting all its territories under a single sceptre. Baktra *Alternate names: Bactria *Corresponds to: Afghanistan This rocky and harsh land has come alive with trade following the establishment of the Diadochi, and is one of the many kingdoms in Greek Asia ruled by the great Seleucid empire. Sogdiana *Alternate names: Sugh *Corresponds to: Turkestan The true wealth of Baktra is not found in its foothills, but rather in this neighbouring territory, famed for its shining yet ill-fated daughter Rukhanna who married Alexander the Great. Sogdiana however is not just known for its place in the annals in Seleucia: if Baktra is the office, then Sogdiana is the warehouse of its monarchs, and is where the silk-bearing caravans of distant lands arrive with their precious cargoes. Available resources * : Silk *file:tribute.png: 10 * : Eureka — Science Gadruza *Alternate names: Gedrosia *Corresponds to: Elburz Water and vegetation are so scarce that Greek visitors have named those brave, unlucky or mad enough to live and die here the "fish-eaters" after the main component of their diet. Despite this desert land's deadly reputation, the burning sands of Gadruza front a sea trade route to India. Khwarzmish *Alternate names: Chorasmia *Corresponds to: Khwarezmia This desolate land forms part of the Silk Road ranging from Bactria into the Mediterranean, and is the last frontier of the Bactrian lands before arriving in Iran. Political summary — Bactrians; Seleucids The Bactrian campaign in The Wolf Among Eagles will be about seeking independence and then eliminating the two main threats to Bactria: the Parthians who are fairly close on Parthia's southeastern borders, and the Seleucids control Gadruza which is required to unify all Bactriana under your rule. The first task you need to do as Bactria is to take out Chorasmia as quickly as possible. This serves two things: the first is to provide a supply centre for your armies, and the second is to keep the Parthians and Seleucids out of Bactriana. If left to their own devices, the Parthians may grow and become too powerful for Bactria to handle. The best way forward for the Bactrians might be to ally with the Parthians, and then use the Parthians to take over the other parts of Bactria. Ultimately, however, you will need to find some way of escaping from the confines of Asia and to expand westwards if you are to survive. Fortunately for you the Seleucids are your allies, however as a satrapy of the Seleucids you are restricted in your diplomatic options and the Seleucids will continuously vampirise part of your tribute income. You will need to find some way to either make use of them or to keep them out when the time comes. Iran Although the many races of the civilised world know this land and the former kingdoms which previously ruled from here as Persia, the local inhabitants have always called themselves and their home Iran. Once the umbillicus of the mighty Achaemenid Empire, Iran is now a former shadow of itself, subservient to its Greek masters who have ensconced themselves in their palaces in Mesopotamia. Verkhana *Corresponds to: Elburz (w) The beauty and fecundity of this land is likened to heaven on earth. Parthava *Corresponds to: Elburz (e) This is the capital of the Parthian satrapy, subservient to the Seleucids. Parsa *Alternate names: Persis; Persia *Corresponds to: Fars Although the Achaemenids are long since gone, the vestiges of their achievements still remain in sufficient number and grandeur to amaze the unwashed and uncultured. Media *Corresponds to: Kordestan Haunted mountains infested with the scum and villainy of Ahriman. But even devils can be called upon to perform divine feats! Political summary — Seleucids; Parthians Mesopotamia *Owned by: Seleucids (entire region) The resilience of Mesopotamia is the secret to why the Seleucids have not just survived for so long but also managed to even corral the other powers of Asia into their fold. Babylon, the oldest survivng city in this land thus far remains a vital hub of the trade which stretches from Asia to Iberia. For this reason, Alexander the Great planned to make this the eastern capital of his new empire (and some say chose to even depart for his forefathers' here). Even so, Babylon's age is catching up with it and Alexander's Seleucid successors have moved their capital further north to a new city named Seleucia. Babylon *Alternate names: Seleucia, Tigris, Mesopotamia, Mesopotamia Inf (Aust) *Corresponds to: Iraq Although Babylon is long forgotten and is little more than a crumbling monastery for the worship of forgotten gods whose time has long passed, their priests still share many great secrets in the arts of administration. Merchants also sail up into the Persian Gulf to Mesopotamia, bringing spices from India which are freely sold here. Available resources *file:rare:png: Spices *file:bonus.png: Eureka — Civics Seleucia *Alternate names: Assyria, Nineveh, Athura, Mesopotamia Sup (Bor) *Corresponds to: Kordestan Formerly known as Assyria or Athura, a new line of emperors - the Seleucids - have taken over this ancient land, renovated its cities and named it after their esteemed progenitor the strategos Seleucus I Nicator. Trade routes from Mesopotamia and Iran must pass through Seleucia, making it thus the envy and object of hatred from the other Greek powers. Rumour has it that the Seleucids - now seen as a more elevated caste of robbers and thieves - moved their capital here so as to consort with the dreaded pirates of Cilicia, a stone's throw away to the west! Political summary — Seleucids Celesyria *Owned by: Egypt (Judaea), and Selecids (other territories) Despite its strange name - in Aramaean, "All of Syria" - Celesyria has very little if anything to do with the real "Syria" - that is Assyria, now Hellenicised as Seleucia. It is better left said that Celesyria is best described as the maritime home of the Semitic tribes and kingdoms of old, from which the kingdoms of Cyprus and Judaea are descended from. Syria *Alternate names: Phoenicia, Syria Magna, Damascus *Corresponds to: Syria The land erroneously called Syria was once called Phoenicia, and consists of the Phoenician coast as well as the Syrian desert to the southeast. Although the Phoenicians have been reduced in power and prominence by the Greeks, business still goes on in its cities, with goods cleared from Africa and Sabaea passing through the desert to the coastline. Judaea *Alternate names: Palestine, Jerusalem *Corresponds to: Jerusalem This sandy and arid land is dominated by a long strip of coastal plain in the north, and arid mountains further south where it meets the land of the Nabataeans. The fact that Judaea has long been the frontier line of kingdoms past and present however has stoked an undying hatred and contempt of foreigners in its people's hearts. Available resources *file:rare.png: Olive oil *file:tribute.png: 15 *file:bonus.png: Partisans Cyprus *Alternate names: Alaxia *Corresponds to: Cyprus! Formerly divided into four Phoenician city-states, this island defected to the Macedonians during Alexander's march to the east, preserving its customs and old ways of life and continues to do so. Arabia Arabia covers the hot and arid wastes which are settled by a group of nomads who appear to have adapted a similar degree in culture and speech. It is dominated by the massive sandy waste known as "Arabia Magna", with all human settlement limited to the northern, southern and eastern peripheries. Although like all nomads the "Arabians" of this land often derive their living from hunting, herding and raiding, the sandy dunes are also host to some of the richest cities on earth, thanks to the trade between Africa, the Mediterranean and India. Most notably, the southernmost land of Saba is known as a producer of one of the finest goods known in the world — incense. Arabia Magna One of the harshest environments ever known to man, this arid and sun-blasted desert land is home to desert nomad tribes ... as well as their flocks of sheep and goats. Hagar w Macat Nabata *Alternate names: Madiam *Corresponds to: Hejaz Although they are related to the Sabaeans and the desert-dwelling hunter-gatherers of Arabia Magna, the Nabataeans have developed a sedentary lifestyle, fuelled by the exacting of tolls along the Red Sea coast trade route. Thanks to the security provided by them, they have access to a spice emporium in their homeland. Saba *Alternate name: Arabia Felix *Corresponds to: Yemen This land is the source of all incense which the civilised world uses to commune with the gods and to send their departed loves ones to the same. Although the Sabaeans do trade in other commodities, this is the one good on which their prosperity and fame rests. *file:tribute.png: Incense Category:Atlas